Yesterday afternoon I grabbed lunch at one of my favorite lunch spots in Burbank. This place has delicioso authentic Mexican food and that’s why I keep going. However, every once in a while this restaurant offers more than just delicioso burritos y tacos. Yes in the greater Burbank area a restaurant like this attracts celebrities too and if you’re lucky, you’ll be there when one shows up. Yesterday I was there at the same time as Alfonso Ribeiro. I must admit, I didn’t know his name yesterday and I’m sure most of you don’t recognize it now. You will definitely recognize his most famous character - Carlton Banks! Even now that nostalgic theme song is running through my head (“Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down….”) Ah…good ol’ plaid wearin’, country club goin’, 70s dancin’ Carlton. Alfonso seemed like a pretty regular guy which makes his portrayal of Carlton even more impressive than it already was.
Thanks to Nick@Nite we can enjoy Alfonso’s performance on this ground breaking show something like 25 times a week. But for those of you who aren’t up that late in the evening, here is a special compilation of what really endeared us to Carlton Banks.
(Those of you who are angry with me for getting the theme song stuck in your head may not want to watch the following video – this song sticks much worse)
Do you remember when stenciled borders were in? I do. I had these great purple teddy-bears that matched my pastel hearts comforter. One of my sisters had a red heart pattern that went nicely with her NKOTB posters and the other sister had black bars that were intended to look like piano keys. Oh. Yeah. I don’t feel too embarrassed about it since we were kids at the time, but some of you are still hangin’ in there with your stenciled borders.
I’m of the persuasion that in general, stenciling is better left in embarrassing pictures of decor from the 80s and 90s. It really has no business existing in 2008. I suppose it’s not fair to lump all types of stenciling into one group, but for my purposes consider the following examples.
Exhibit A
Ah yes, the garden flowers with fat bumble bee motif. Perfect for any craft room needing some color.
Exhibit B
Gardeners everywhere unite! Watch the sky for the watering can stenciled spotlight….that will be our cue to plant in empty flowerbeds everywhere!
Exhibit C
Classic pink flower vine border. It’s the perfect way to make your master bedroom feel comfortable for your husband.
Exhibit D
No Stenciled house would be complete without the twirly vine heart pattern.
Exhibit E
This versatile pattern goes well over the doors or windows, over a mirror, or as a border.
Exhibit F
For the stenciler wanting a simpler, less flowery pattern, try using this lovely ribbon bow. Nothing says “welcome to my home” like ribbon wrapped gift walls
Exhibit G
The perfect look for any bathroom is a green ivy growing on the walls. It’s especially useful to cover up any real green growing on the walls.
Exhibit H
Last, but not least, this pattern is perfect for the beach dweller in you. Finish this look off with a bowl of collected sand-dollars on your coffee table and your oceanside cottage look will be complete!
A couple weekends ago we decided to do some long needed re-organizing, re-thinking and re-decorating of John’s home studio. We took everything out and sorted it into keep, toss and sell piles. We took down the old curtains and painted the walls. We organized the keep pile in the room and re-arranged the furniture. Ahhh…progress feels good.
We’ve dubbed the look “Modern Deco” because we’ve combined the clean simple lines of 50s/60s modern with a few bold touches of 20s/30s art deco.
But now we’re stuck. I had a plan for the new curtains but today we came up with a plan 2. Neither of us can decide if we like plan 1 or plan 2 better. This is a crucial turning point because the fabric will dictate the art for the wall and the rug for the floor. The fabric is also the art deco part of the of the modern deco scheme.
Here’s where you come in. The swatches below are very different patterns, though both art deco bold looks, and they take the room in varying directions. Even though you haven’t seen the wall color or the furniture or the ideas for the artwork, I’m curious which one YOU like. If you don’t like either one, don’t tell me because it took too long to narrow it down to just these two! If you do like one over the other will you leave a comment?
A
(Black on Ivory Damask)
B
(Silvery Teal and Rusty Orange Paisley with Black Outlines)
